Envelope making machine



April 20, 1937. NovlcK 2,077,952

ENVELOPE MAKING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 2, 1951 mvmvrox Abram/VWM.

A ril 20, 1937. A. NOVICK ENVELOPE MAKING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR A ITORNEYS Filed Oct. 2. 1951 BY Adam/70nd. M I'L April 20, 1937. A. NOVICK ENVELOPE MAKING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 2, 1931 ATTORNEYS April 20, 1937. NQV|CK 2,077,952

ENVELOPE MAKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 vi: L In M IL I n X M/ O b INVENTOR flbmfiamA awbk A TI'ORNEYS April 20, 1937. NovlcK 2,077,952

ENVELOPE MAK ING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR flbra/mm A/a v/ck vL A TTORNEY 20 and provision Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENVELOPE MAKING MACHINE Abraham Noviclr, Flushing,

N. Y., assignor to Application October 2, 1931, Serial No. 566,461

9 Claims.

This invention relates to envelope making machinery, and has for an object to provide a machine for making open end envelopes in a novel and efficient manner.

In accordance with one feature of the invention, the order of treatment of the envelope blanks involves first gummlng, folding and adhesively uniting the side flaps, then gumming and drying the sealing flaps, and finally gumming the bottom flaps and folding the bottom and sealing flaps over against the envelope body.

In accordance with a further important feature of the invention, provision is made of an endless drying conveyor on which the envelope blanks are deposited with their gummed faces turned toward the conveyor. The blanks are retained on the conveyor throughout substantially the entire orbit of travel thereof, that is, throughout the outgoing and return stretches,

is made between the stretches of the conveyor of means for blowing air against the gummed faces of the blanks.

other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings fication:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic, side elevation of the introductory end of the machine, a portion of the drying conveyor being shown, also;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic, plan view of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a similar view of another portion of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, illustrating a portion of the machine adjoining that of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic, plan view, partly broken away, illustrating the mechanism of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevation, similar to Figures 1 and 4, and illustrating a portion of the machine adjoining that of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic, plan view of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, enlarged, detail view in side elevation illustrating the gripper construction and mounting;

Figure 9 is a plan view on the same scale as Figure 8, illustrating the mechanism disclosed in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a view portion of the machine Figure 6;

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic, plan forming part of this speciin side elevation showing a which adjoins that of view illustrating portions of the mechanism shown in Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a view in side elevation illustrating a portion of the machine adjoining that of Figure 10;

Figure 13 is a diagrammatic, plan view illustrating a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 12.

If'Figures l, 4, 6, l0 and 12 are laid end to end in the order named at the lines A, A, B, B, C, C and D, D, the machine is seen in its entirety in side elevation, with the exception that a portion of the receiving conveyor for finished envelopes, shown at the right hand end of Figure 12, is broken away.

In Figure 1 disclosure is made of a feeder of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,385,468, granted to Charles F. Pfianze on July 26, 1921. This feeder comprises a cylinder I having friction blocks 2 set therein and effective at each revolution of the cylinder to take the topmost blank off of a stack of blanks situated on a shelf 3, a rubber shoe 20. being effective to prevent the feed of more than one sheet at a time. The blanks are delivered by the cylinder l in conjunction with an auxiliary feed roll 4 to a conveyor 5 which travels fast enough to maintain the blanks in spaced out relation. The conveyor 5 includes a pair of endless chains 6 which run upon sprockets I, 8 and 9. Each of the chains 8 carries pusher fingers Ill for engaging in the angles formed at the junctions of the sealing flaps II and side flaps i2 and I3 of the envelope blanks B for aligning the blanks and positively feeding them forward. The cylinder i is so timed with relation to the conveyor 5 that the blanks B arrive in position to be engaged by the fingers ill a little before the fingers Ill come into position to engage them. It is intended that the blanks B remain idle in such position until overtaken by the fingers, but should a blank be carried forward prematurely or be skewed or misplaced for any other reason, it will be set back against the fingers as it travels along the upper stretch of the conveyor 5. For this purpose provision is made of fixedly mounted spring fingers I l and I5 which engage the upper surfaces of the blanks to press them against a suitable table, not shown, and thus exert a frictional drag upon them.

The conveyor 5 delivers the blanks across a. table IE to a feeding couple comprising rolls l1 and i8, and this couple in turn delivers the blanks across a table I! to scoring means comprising a cylinder 20 and scoring wheels 2| for providing longitudinal fold lines between the body portion and the side flaps thereof. From the scoring mechanism the blanks pass singly to a side flap gumming and folding mechanism of the kind illustrated and described in my pending application Serial No. 554,704, filed August 3, 1931, for Envelope machines. This mechanism includes a long, high speed conveyor comprising a pair of belts 22, which is disposed beneath a. relatively short opposed conveyor comprising a pair of belts 23. Rollers 24 carried by pivoted arms 25 rest by gravity upon the lower stretch of the conveyor 23 and serve to maintain the conveyors 22 and 23 in coacting relation throughout the active stretch of the latter. While the blanks are under the influence of the two conveyors referred to, they pass a summing mechanism 26 which applies gum to the lower face along the outer, longitudinal margin of the side flap I2. The gumming mechanism comprises a gum pct 21 and a roller 28 which runs therein and which stands substantially tangent to the plane of blank movement. A pendulously hanging block 29 of small mass stands in opposed relation to the roller 28, but it does not present any surface which can under any circumstances contact the roller 28 because it has a channel formed in its lower face wider than the roller 28.

From the conveyor 23 the blanks pass to a side flap folding mechanism. This mechanism comprises upwardly inclined converging arms 29:]. which serve to turn the respective side flaps through approximately a quadrant. A pair of channel bars 3|) overlie the belts of conveyor 22 and carry rollers 3| which ride upon the blanks and hold the blanks down against the conveyor- 22. The channel bars 3|) have forming plates 32 extending forward from the ends thereof and the folding of the side flaps is completed about these forming plates by means of a belt folder 33. This folder comprises a pair of belts which act on the respective flaps, the active stretches of the belts being twisted from substantially upright to horizontal positions. At this operation the ungummed side flap is lapped over the gummed margin of the other side flap and adhesively united to it, provision being made of center seam pressing rollers (l4 and 34a.

The rollers 34, 34a cooperate to feed the blanks singly to a gumming mechanism 35 which applies gum to the sealing flaps of the blanks. This gumming mechanism comprises a gum pot 36, a roller 31 running therein, a transfer roller 88, a cylinder 39, which carries a gumming bar 48, and a cooperating bed roller 4|. The blanks are transferred from the gumming mechanism by a feeding couple 42 onto a friction conveyor 43 which comprises a pair of endless belts 44 that run on pulleys 45 and 46. Between the belts 44 provision is made of a gripper conveyor 41 which comprises an endless chain 48 that runs on sprockets 48 and 58 in parallelism with the belts 44. Grippers 5| are provided at spaced intervals along the chain 48. The gripper construction is best illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. Each gripper includes a gripping jaw 52, a body portion 53 which is pivoted on a chain pin 54 and a tail piece 55 rigid with the jaw 52 and the body 53. A wire spring 56 is looped around a chain pin 51 and engages the tail piece 55 at one end, and the pin 54 at the other end, being stressed to urge the gripper in a counterclockwise direction, and hence to urge the jaw 52 toward closed position against the chain. A bar 58 extends beneath the upper stretch of the chain 48, guides the latter, and serves by engagement with the tail pieces of the grippers to maintain the grippers open throughout a considerable portion of the travel thereof in the upper stretch of the chain. The friction conveyor 53 operates at a little higher speed than the gripper conveyor 41, and is therefore effective to cause the envelope blanks upon it to overtake the grippers, enter the jaws thereof, and be arrested by the body portions 53. Thus, every blank is accurately positioned as far forward in the associated gripper as it can go before the gripper is closed down upon it. Near: the rear end of the conveyor 41 bar 58 slopes downward so that each gripper is permitted to close at this point.

The gripper carries the blank whose leading end it has seized around the sprocket 50, thereby inverting the blank and reversing the direction of travel thereof. The gummed sealing fiap which was originally the upper trailing margin is thus caused to become the lower trailing margin of the blank. A sprocket 58 around which the chain 48 runs is provided with a hub portion, to for engaging the tail pieces 55 of the grippers so that each gripper is caused to open and release the blank held by it at a definitely predetermined point. This release is so timed that the blank is deposited gum face downward upon an endless drying conveyor 6| in position to have its trailing end gripped by one of a multiplicity of grippers 62 carried by such conveyor.

Each of the grippers 62 consists of a finger rigid with one link of the conveyor chain 63. These grippers stand out tangentially to an end sprocket 64 on which the chain runs as they pass around the sprocket, and hence are in an open position so that they may receive the deposited blanks. Each gripper, however, as soon as it reaches the straight stretch of the conveyor, comes down into contact with the chain and grips the blank which has been deposited on it. The blanks are carried throughout the outgoing and return stretches'of the drying conveyor 6| with their gummed faces toward the conveyor,

and are discharged when the grippers again open up on reaching the sprocket 64. In order to prevent release of the blanks when the conveyor chain 63 passes around sprocket remote from the point at which the blanks are received and discharged, provision is made of a pair of bars 66 adapted to bend the fingers 62 inward and maintain them in gripping relation to the chain. Alternatively, the sprocket 65 may be made of such large diameter that it will not cause the grippers to open.

The conveyor as described has the important advantage that both the outgoing and return stretches are-utilized. Other important advantages are also realized. An air chest 61 which is supplied with heated air under pressure is provided with openings or Jets in the top and bottom thereof so that it constantly blows air against both stretches of the belt. This air chest, so situated, takes up no space which could be otherwise usefully employed and constitutes a common means for supplying drying air to both stretches of the conveyor. This advantage is realized because of the fact that the blanks are delivered gummed face downward to the conveyor 8|.

From the drying conveyor 5| the blanks are delivered to a short conveyor 68, three rolls 58, 10 and II cooperate with said conveyor, the roll 10 being fixed and the rolls 69 and II being adjustable. The roll 69 is made adjustable in order to enable it to be set at a proper distance from the discharge point of conveyor II to properly receive blanks of varying lengths. The roll 'II is similarly adjusted toward and from a cone device 12 which is provided for turning the blanks in the manner illustrated in Figure 11. The turning device I2 and a re-aligning mechanism 13 are of the same construction as the corresponding parts shown and described in my pending application Serial No. 554,704, referred to above, and need not, therefore, be described in detail herein. From the latter of these devices the blanks advance side edge first instead of bottom end first. They are delivered to a feeding couple ll, thence to scoring means 15 and to conveyors l6 and II. The bottom flaps are gummed by gumming mechanism I8 and the bottom and sealing flaps are folded by sealing mechanism l9, both identical with the mechanism disclosed in Figures '4 and 5 of said pending application.

The completed envelopes are delivered onto a slow speed conv eyor and there accumulated.

I have illustrated and described in detail certain preferred embodiments of my invention. I do not, however, wish to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In. an envelope machine, in combination, means for uniting the side flaps, means for then gumming and drying the sealing flap, means for thereafter turning the blank through means for gumming the bottom flap, means for folding the bottom flap, and means for folding the,

sealing flap.

2. In an envelope machine, in combination,

means for gumming, means for folding and means for adhesively uniting the side flaps, means for then gumming the sealing flaps, an endless drying conveyor in the same vertical plane with said means to which the blanks are delivered, the conveyor being arranged to feed the blanks throughout substantially the entire lengths of its outgoing and return stretches, and means for receiving the dried blanks and adhesively uniting the bottom flaps to the blank bodies, all of said instrumentalities being disposed substantially in a single vertical longitudinal plane.

3. In an envelope machine, in combination, means for gumming, means for folding and means for 'adhesively uniting the side flaps, means for then gumming the sealing flap, means for drying the sealing flap, means for thereafter turning the blank through an angle of 90 in its own plane, means for then gumming the bottom flap, means for folding the bottom flap, and means for folding the sealing flap.

4. In an envelope machine, in combination, means for gumming, means for folding and means for adhesively uniting the side flaps, means for then gumming the sealing flap, means for drying the sealing flap, means for thereafter turning the blank through ninety degrees, and means for gumming the bottom flap, means for folding the bottom flap and means for folding the sealing flap.

5. The method of making an envelope which consists in gumming, folding and adhesively uniting the side flaps, then gumming and drying the sealing flap, thereafter turning the blank through ninety degrees, then gumming the bottom flap, and then folding the bottom and seali s fl ps.

6. In an envelope machine, the combination of means for adhesively uniting two oppositely-disposed flaps. means for gumming a third flap, means for drying the third flap, means for thereafter turning the blank through ninety degrees, means for gumming a fourth flap, means for folding said third flap and means for folding said fourth flap.

7. The method of making an envelope which consists in interposing the steps of gumming and drying the sealing flap of the envelope and turning it through ninety degrees between the operation of folding the side flaps and the operation of folding the sealing flap.

8. The method of making an envelope which consists in folding the side flaps, then gumming and drying the sealing flap, turning it through ninety degrees, then gumming the bottom flap, and then folding the bottom and sealing flaps.

9. The method of making an envelope which consists in gumming, folding and adhesively uniting the side flaps, then turning it through ninety degrees, then gumming and drying the sealing flap, and gumming the bottom flap, and then folding the bottom} and sealing flaps.

. ABRAHAM NOVICK.

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION. I

Patent No. 2,0'7'7,92.-

April 20. 1937.

ABRAHAM NOVIUK.

Page 3, "turning it and insert the samebefore "gumming" in line 49, ofsaid claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record/of. the case in the Patent Office. v

Signed and sealed this 8th day of June, A. D. 1937.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdale Acting Commissioner of Patents It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: second column, lines 47-48 claim 9, strike out the words through ninety degrees, then" to enable it to be set at a proper distance from the discharge point of conveyor II to properly receive blanks of varying lengths. The roll 'II is similarly adjusted toward and from a cone device 12 which is provided for turning the blanks in the manner illustrated in Figure 11. The turning device I2 and a re-aligning mechanism 13 are of the same construction as the corresponding parts shown and described in my pending application Serial No. 554,704, referred to above, and need not, therefore, be described in detail herein. From the latter of these devices the blanks advance side edge first instead of bottom end first. They are delivered to a feeding couple ll, thence to scoring means 15 and to conveyors l6 and II. The bottom flaps are gummed by gumming mechanism I8 and the bottom and sealing flaps are folded by sealing mechanism l9, both identical with the mechanism disclosed in Figures '4 and 5 of said pending application.

The completed envelopes are delivered onto a slow speed conv eyor and there accumulated.

I have illustrated and described in detail certain preferred embodiments of my invention. I do not, however, wish to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In. an envelope machine, in combination, means for uniting the side flaps, means for then gumming and drying the sealing flap, means for thereafter turning the blank through means for gumming the bottom flap, means for folding the bottom flap, and means for folding the,

sealing flap.

2. In an envelope machine, in combination,

means for gumming, means for folding and means for adhesively uniting the side flaps, means for then gumming the sealing flaps, an endless drying conveyor in the same vertical plane with said means to which the blanks are delivered, the conveyor being arranged to feed the blanks throughout substantially the entire lengths of its outgoing and return stretches, and means for receiving the dried blanks and adhesively uniting the bottom flaps to the blank bodies, all of said instrumentalities being disposed substantially in a single vertical longitudinal plane.

3. In an envelope machine, in combination, means for gumming, means for folding and means for 'adhesively uniting the side flaps, means for then gumming the sealing flap, means for drying the sealing flap, means for thereafter turning the blank through an angle of 90 in its own plane, means for then gumming the bottom flap, means for folding the bottom flap, and means for folding the sealing flap.

4. In an envelope machine, in combination, means for gumming, means for folding and means for adhesively uniting the side flaps, means for then gumming the sealing flap, means for drying the sealing flap, means for thereafter turning the blank through ninety degrees, and means for gumming the bottom flap, means for folding the bottom flap and means for folding the sealing flap.

5. The method of making an envelope which consists in gumming, folding and adhesively uniting the side flaps, then gumming and drying the sealing flap, thereafter turning the blank through ninety degrees, then gumming the bottom flap, and then folding the bottom and seali s fl ps.

6. In an envelope machine, the combination of means for adhesively uniting two oppositely-disposed flaps. means for gumming a third flap, means for drying the third flap, means for thereafter turning the blank through ninety degrees, means for gumming a fourth flap, means for folding said third flap and means for folding said fourth flap.

7. The method of making an envelope which consists in interposing the steps of gumming and drying the sealing flap of the envelope and turning it through ninety degrees between the operation of folding the side flaps and the operation of folding the sealing flap.

8. The method of making an envelope which consists in folding the side flaps, then gumming and drying the sealing flap, turning it through ninety degrees, then gumming the bottom flap, and then folding the bottom and sealing flaps.

9. The method of making an envelope which consists in gumming, folding and adhesively uniting the side flaps, then turning it through ninety degrees, then gumming and drying the sealing flap, and gumming the bottom flap, and then folding the bottom} and sealing flaps.

. ABRAHAM NOVICK.

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION. I

Patent No. 2,0'7'7,92.-

April 20. 1937.

ABRAHAM NOVIUK.

Page 3, "turning it and insert the samebefore "gumming" in line 49, ofsaid claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record/of. the case in the Patent Office. v

Signed and sealed this 8th day of June, A. D. 1937.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdale Acting Commissioner of Patents It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: second column, lines 47-48 claim 9, strike out the words through ninety degrees, then" 

